Some people are concerned that living with a loving heart is the equivalent of being narcissistic. However, this is far from the truth. It is impossible to love others without loving yourself. And the corollary is just as true. It is absolutely impossible to truly love yourself without loving others. When we use the term love we mean true unconditional love that Jesus and other religious leaders meant. So today spread this type of love around. As you pass each person you meet today smile at them inside and silently say “I love you.” Remember all your actions are internal. If you feel comfortable silently ask the Creator, the spirit or whatever term you wish to use to bless this person and then move on. It is interesting how much easier one’s journey becomes when one practices this exercise sincerely. It is very difficult to become totally and uncontrollably angry with some one you have just blessed and sent love to. This greeting is a wonderful thing to keep in mind when doing this exercise. “The Christ in me greets the Christ in you.” However, you do it is wonderful. Just walk around today with love in your heart. You’ll have a wondrous, extraordinary day and will enjoy a Loving Heart …

Earlier, I wrote about: looking for points of commonality with others. Then, I suggested: getting in tune with the sacredness within you. Today I would like to combine these to suggest another way of looking at religion. This is only a suggestion. Please read it without accepting or rejecting my points until you have finished today’s article.

I propose that if a Creator exists, He points the way to us through demonstrable facts. We are the only animal which can think symbolically and use a complex language. It is our power of thinking which sets us apart from all other animals. Thus I propose a most important aspect of the Creator’s plan for us is to use our brains and think.

I further propose that the Creator is a good Creator. I use the following affirmation when things appear bad: “God is always a good God.”

Fact: When we look at the religions of the world superficially, that is when we look at their dogmas. Not only every single religion disagrees with every single other religion, but if we just take one religion say Christianity, every sect disagrees with every other sect. In fact sectarian warfare by religions of peace and love run rampant throughout the history of humanity.

Fact: Very few people change the religion that they are born with.

I interpret the above two facts that a good God would never have one right way of communicating with us and all the rest of the human beings be damned.

If we look for points of commonality in the esoteric religions we find that all religions teach being kind to one’s neighbors. At times they consider people outside their faith as not neighbors, but the point is that they all preach love of human being for other human beings. Most teach respect for animals and other living beings. Many recommend that we respect and love the environment which is the Creator’s gift to all humanity.

All religions warn against too much materialism and greed. In the words of Jesus, “It is more difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.” Furthermore they all preach looking after others and giving charity. They all believe in the brotherhood of humanity.

When we look at the esoteric aspects of all religions, we find that mystics of all religions agree with each other. They cloak their words using the symbols of the milieu that they come from. Thus a Christian mystic uses Christian symbology and a Buddhist mystic uses Buddhist symbology. It is like the fact that when people go to Freudian psychologists they dream in Freudian symbology, but when they go to Jungians, they dream in Jungian symbology.

However, all mystics agree that:

• The Creator must be experienced first hand.
• The love between the Creator and the Created is infinite.
• All beings are interconnected and are part of the *One*.
• There is a spark of the Divine within all. This is said in many ways: “The kingdom of God is within;” “I and the father are one;” “I am the truth.” Dogmatic religion executed the two who dared say the last two statements.
• The ultimate truth is beyond words.
• Love of God is love for all beings.
• The real world is beyond time and space. It is a transcendent spiritual reality.
• This world of matter does not matter that much.
• There is absolutely no need to be scared of death.

Ways of using the above facts with a Loving Heart are through repetition of the following affirmations:

• God is always a good God.
• I am loving and I am loved.
• All is one … All is good …
• I am a divine child of the Creator.
• I am love.
• I love life and it shows.

There is a Zen Buddhist saying which I love:

Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water… After enlightenment chop wood, carry water…

Thus after understanding the basic unity of all human beings and all religions, go back to your own religion and dogmas if you please. Or you may want to bring in a little of the wisdoms existing outside your traditions.

This Phox story relates to today’s article:

Phox, before he became wise, as a saint was walking when he heard a peasant praying thus, “God I’ll buy you candy and wrap it and offer it to you. I’ll make a doll for you and dress it in the best clothes and give it to you. I’ll make you the best food in the world.” Phox, the saint, rushed forward and said, “Fool, God is not a child that needs candy and toys. God is a spirit, abstract, beyond words and even thoughts. God is beyond the beyond”. Many years later when Phox the saint died Saint Peter admonished him for turning the peasant away from God. Phox the saint replied but he was wrong. He was an idolater. “No,” replied Saint Peter, “He was praying to the Creator in the only way he could and you turned him away.”

So if you see someone who does not agree with you, have compassion, perhaps they are doing things in the only way they can.

Ways of a Loving Heart …

Never say I love you if you don’t care …

Never talk about feelings if they’re not there …

Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart.

… I trust the inner sacredness within me and all others to guide us toward the light and show us the right things to do.

… I have a childlike faith in my inner goodness and surrender my will to this inner spark of the divine.

… I open my mind to the inner truth. I allow myself to be guided into ways of goodness, peace and compassion.

… I realize the presence of the Spirit within. I understand that I’m a part of the Spirit having a material experience.

… I allow the genius within to grow and show itself to the world.

… I let go and let God.

… Wherever I look I see love and joy.

… I am love. I am power. I am compassion.

… Divine Intelligence is within me and guides me.

… I listen to the Christ within.

… There is only one Consciousness. This is the Consciousness of the Creator. This Consciousness is my consciousness.